Our IF-2K software is a filtering product that features URL and phrase vocabulary transparency. The lists are not encrypted, therefore they are readable by the end-user. We believe that it is relevant and important that the end-user have such visual access not only to the text file packaged in our product, but, to any future list embellishment configured at the discretion of the end-user.
For institutions such as Public Libraries, the concept of transparency is absolutely essential in order to fulfill a public trust commitment to guard access to information. Due diligence cannot be performed in the absence of transparency. How can those in positions of responsibility navigate the information highway when disclosure of content under each category to be filtered is denied? It is a situation akin to demanding a blind person manoeuvre a vehicle down a road.
Our transparent list of adult-orientatedÂť sites is substantial as any client can easily ascertain.
A sample of our URL list (pornography) is available at http://research.vision-options.com/ which is currently about 450,000 domains.
The Internet and filtering software are ever-evolving. It is not possible to developing a perfect€ filter with a guarantee that it will not over/under block. The Internet Filter therefore has an optional override feature which can allow users to bypass the filter.
As a cautionary measure, it would be prudent to consider that any claims made by a filtering software company as to the number of sites their product will block, CANNOT be substantiated unless that software contains a transparency feature. One might also consider that since a domain may be comprised of a considerable number of URLs, there may be more than one way of arriving at the total number of sites claimed to be blocked. Likewise, it is impossible to know exactly which Internet content categories have been configured in such software, over and above those disclosed, without transparency.